Hello Kim - I asked my ? (originally pertaining to interviewing) of Marky Stein "The_Interview_Expert". He referred me to you, as his response came back to my resume.

Here was my question for him and the "Interview Forum":

This may be a unique situation, but I'm having a difficult time in knowing what to do with this issue in an Interview situation and would appreciate any advice.

Issue in a nut shell: I went to college and graduated with a BS in Nursing (although Nursing was never my 1st choice in career). I took my N-CLEX boards and failed. Never failing much in school, I was devastated by this, extremely depressed, and didn't want anything to do with Nursing. After a couple years in a clerical job, I tried to get back into Nursing, but lost interest and never took my boards again. I have since worked in sales & marketing positions until a layoff last year.

In at least 1/2 of my interviews, I am asked in some way, "Why are you are applying for business jobs with a Nursing degree?" and "You have a BSN so why aren't you a nurse?" Career Advisors always say to be honest in interviews, and the truth is that I failed; I would have been a Nurse if I didn't fail. I never want to 'go there' in an interview, since they also say to keep everything positive, and failure is always negative. Is there a way to spin the reality of my past or create a different approach -without lying- so that I never have to say "I failed" when I am asked about it?

Thanks so much

__________________________________

Marky Responded:

Hi Swim,

If some sort of Bachelor's degree is REQUIRED for the job to which you're applying, then it's probably good to have it on your resume and just explain the truth about it.

However, if no Bachelor's degree is required, you can leave it off of your resume and use your experience in marketing, etc. to sell yourself.

You may want to run this question by Monster's resume expert. Try it and see if it helps!

http://monster.prospero.com/n/pfx/forum.aspx?webtag=mstresumetips

All the best,

Marky

___________________________________________________________________________________

I can somewhat understand where he is coming from.  But in actuality, I truly appreciated my education and am proud that I earned a BS (as it honestly was earned; it wasn't easy). 

I also think having a degree shows employers that the applicant has the fortitude to stick with something to completion, i.e. a committed attitude that will translate to commitment in the work force.

My question to you Kim is this:  is it really appropriate to omit something (that I thought was important & valuable) like a Bachelor of Science degree on a resume?  And would you in this situation?  Do you have any other suggestions?

Thank you so much for your help!

Hi SwimAway,

Welcome to the Resume Tips forum! You will likely find varying expert opinions on this, but my advice is to include your BSN degree on your resume. If you omit the degree and it's later discovered, employers might think you were being dishonest and you could lose opportunities following a background check. Plus, I agree that earning your BSN is a significant accomplishment and I wouldn't hide it. Yes, you'll have some explaining to do, but many people change career directions for a variety of reasons -- as long as you stay on the "honest" track, I don't think employers will view this negatively.

If you earned your BSN recently, you might want to add a note in your cover letter that addresses your career change.

I hope this is helpful. Good luck to you!

Thank you for your response Kim; I concur with your opinion and will leave my BSN on my resume.  No, it has not been recent; I graduated in 1995.

In an earlier job market, staying on the "honest" track about failing my boards wasn't an issue, as employers did seem to understand that "people change career directions for a variety of reasons" and companies clearly hired me despite the "failure".      But in today's job market, I have never felt such competition; and although I have even more skills and experience than ever, I am still not getting jobs for which I am perfectly qualified.  I can't think of what else my problem may be other than the negativity that is brought up about the nursing boards question (even though I try to end the topic positively, by saying that the experience really opened the door of my self-awareness to know what other career areas I can learn, excel in and enjoy). 

Thanks for your wish of luck ~ I do need it!